A blog inspired to teach my children about other countries and cultures through their food. It also includes music, arts, and literature from those countries as well.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

PARAGUAY: MUSIC AND DANCE

The folk music of
Paraguay is deeply rooted in European musical traditions. One of the styles
that has become iconic in Paraguay is the polka. However, what’s different
between Paraguayan polka and European-style polka is that European style is
based on more binary rhythms and Paraguayan styles combine binary rhythms with
ternary rhythms.

Another popular
form of folk music is the zarzuela, a Spanish-influenced form that blends operatic
lyrical music with dance. The Paraguayan form drew in elements of Paraguayan
polka and Guaraní music (and the Guaraní language).

Many of the
instruments commonly used in Paraguayan music were brought over from Europe,
like the Spanish guitar and the harp. The harp was one of the first instruments
introduced to the native Paraguayans and has been in use since the 1500s. It
was far more practical to use in religious services rather than an organ or
harpsichord. Typically, it’s made of mahogany or other tropical woods, and the
number of strings can vary between 32-46 strings. Although it stands nearly 5’
tall, it is fairly light in construction. The Paraguayan harp is often
considered the national instrument.

I had already
mentioned that polka was a popular form of music, so it’s not hard to imagine
that the polka dance is also a popular dance form as well. Another dance that
is known throughout the country is the bottle dance; it’s signature move is
that the performer dances around while balancing a glass bottle on their head. There isn’t a specific musical style
associated with this dance, so many different forms can be used to accompany
this dance.

As far as trying to
find some bands that were from Paraguay, I had to do a little more digging
around than usual. Typically, Wikipedia has been a great resource for listing a
bunch of bands or musicians from a country to start with, and I’d go look them
up on Spotify. But this one was lacking. However, I did manage to find a few.
First of all, I listened to the band Flou. I loved them from first listen.
Definitely in the nu metal category, they were loud, but their instrumentals
were driving and clean. They kind of reminded me of Disturbed a little bit
along with a bunch of other bands. However, they do have a slower, more melodic
side to them that I also liked.

Revolber is another
hard rock band I listened to. I liked what I heard from them –at times they
have almost a punk or ska sound to their music. I think it’s pretty catchy
stuff. They remind me a little of Los Rabanes from Panama.

Paiko is a rock-pop
band. I listened to several of their songs, and they have quite a range in
styles from rock to reggae to almost a country sound. I’m not a fan of the
country sound, but the other stuff was decent.

By now, you should
know I have a penchant for punk music. Area 69 fell into this category, and I
quite enjoyed it. It was more of that pop-punk style, but that didn’t matter. I
still thought it was kind of fun.

I also listened to
Kchiporros. It’s hard to explain, but it’s very much Latin pop mixed with
reggae. I really like it a lot. It’s very danceable. I found myself listening
to it longer than some of the others – although I’m not exactly sure how to
pronounce it.

It was hard to find
any rappers or hip-hop artists from Paraguay. Not too many popped up for me.
However, I did come across one called Rapper Soul. I listened to a few of his tracks.
He’s got the rap-rock thing down – kind of in the style of Rage Against the
Machine (one of my favorite bands). And like Rage or even Red Hot Chili
Peppers, they also incorporate elements of funk into their music as well. I
seriously wish I could find more of their stuff.

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About Me

I'm really nerdy. I have several writing projects going on, and I also have a really long list of books I'm working my way through; I'm still adding books to it, so in essence, I'll never get through it. I'm an amateur food and culture blogger, an amateur baker and cook, an amateur musicologist, an amateur grammarian, an amateur know-it-all, and a professional dreamer. Follow me on Twitter: @KayoSmada.